you cry because it’s there, or do you just go over it?” Rudlo; and her colleagues started climbing. Seven years later, in May 2011, the 25,000-square-foot Alameda Boys & Girls Club opened its doors. “The kids were so thrilled,” Rudlo; says. The adults were pretty impressed, too. “When we had our grand opening, I stood by the door and watched people come into the facility, and their mouths dropped open,” says Rudlo;. “It’s absolutely beautiful in- side.” The new Youth Development Center has key features in common with most Boys & Girls Clubs: a gymnasium, game
room, and classroom space. What
makes it special are the extras: a music room and soundproofed drum
room where music lessons are offered; a tech lab that makes use of donated laptops; a commercial-grade
kitchen for meal preparation and nutrition education; and a community
garden in the back. Another special
feature is an on-site dental clinic. Dr.
Barry Parker, a friend of Rudlo;’s,
recruited dentists to volunteer their
time to screen kids and refer them
for free treatment if needed. “It used
to be that there was only one dentist
in the area that accepted [Medic-aid], and the kids couldn’t get there.
Transportation is an issue for lots of our families,” says
Diane Rizzo, the club’s interim director.

Rudlo; has been a tireless volunteer for the club.
As leader of the capital campaign for the facility, she
conducted dozens of tours of the construction site for
potential donors. “I have a hard hat with my name on
it!” she declares proudly. She has also chaired the club’s
annual fund-raising auction and golf tournament, recruited board members and math tutors, and set up
counseling services for 50 families. Over the past two
years, she raised more than $250,000 for the club. On
top of that, she volunteers at the facility an average of
10 hours a week.

Community Impact

The board’s fund-raising success sends an importantmessage to the boys and girls who frequent the club,Rudlo; says. “I think it gives them hope. They realizethey don’t have to listen to people who say ‘You can’tdo it,’ because you can.”John Hamilton, a 17-year-old high school seniorwho has frequented the club since 2005, is thrilled withthe new space, which can accommodate about 3,000children, compared to just 1,200 before. “The old fa-
cility was tiny. The number of kids we get now would have been impossible at the old building,” he says. “The kids are so proud of the building,” Rudlo; says. “There’s gra;ti around—but not here.” Rudlo;’s proud, too, of what the facil- ity means to the com-munity at large. “It represents a taking care of peoplewho need our help, people who ordinarily might not getsuch a wonderful sense of community and belonging,”she says.

Alameda’s state-of-the-art Boys & Girls Club is
a daily reminder to the
families it serves about
the power of a can-do
attitude.